Side grip drum handling means for lift trucks



Dec. 22, 1953 EHMANN SIDE GRIP DRUM HANDLING MEANS FOR LIFT TRUCKS Filed Aug. 10, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Lew/Xe G [Aliza/m BY m 4%, (2%

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Dec. 22,- 1953 L. e. EHMANN SIDE GRIP DRUM HANDLING MEANS FOR LIFT TRUCKS Filed Aug. 10, 1950 2 Shet s-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. [es/[e GZ/zmazm mjflkm ?atented Dec. 22, 1953 SIDE GRIP DRUM HANDLING MEANS FOR LIFT TRUCKS Leslie G. Ehmann, Portland, reg., assignor to Hyster Company, Portland, Oregx, a corporation of Oregon Application August 10, 1950, Serial No. 178,742

3 Claims.

This invention relates to side grip means of the type adapted for handling drums or barrels, and it has for its object the provision of a new and improved form and arrangement of structure for use on a lift truck whereby one, two or more drums or the like may be gripped effectively by pressure applied on the sides of the drums by a pair of oppositely disposed arms for enabling the arms to lift the drums for transporting them, for stacking them in a pile, or for lifting and turning them so as to pour out their contents.

For attaining my objects, I have provided pressure arms movable by power toward and from each other and having their inner face portions bowed at intermediate points so as to provide oppositely disposed concave drum-receiving reoesses for enabling the arms to eifect a secure grip on a drum by engagement with the side faces of the drum. In one preferred form of construction, the pressure on opposite faces of a drum or barrel, or a plurality of such articles to be picked up, is eifected through the medium of a pair of arms each of which is provided with an elongated pressure plate member pivotally mounted thereon for limited movement relative to a normally vertical axis, with the engaging face of each of said pressure plate members bowed outwardly at opposite sides of the pivotal axis for providing drum-receiving recesses at both end portions of each of the plate members, so as to apply pressure on either one, two or four drums or barrels, as may be desired for handling them effectively. In this preferred construction, the pressure plate member is preferably mounted so as to swing freely on its vertical axis with respect to the supporting arm but is limited with respect to its swinging movement in either direction by engagement with the arm, so that two oppositely positioned arms are adapted to apply pressure effectively on a single drum between corresponding end portions of the pressure plate members, or to apply pressure on two drums at the same time at opposite sides of the vertical axes of said pressure plate members.

It is another object of my invention to provide an improved form of pressure plate member comprising a strip of sheet metal bent into shape to provide the desired drum receiving recesses, with the required bearing parts on said pressure plate members in position to engage the arms for limiting the swinging movements of the members for bringing about the effective operations as sought.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent also from the following description of an exemplary embodiment of my invention disclosed for illustrative purposes by reference to the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred form of pressure arm structure embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side face view of the parts shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sectional views taken substantially at the line 3-3 and the line 4-4 respectively in Fig. 2; and

Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are diagrammatic top plan views of the pressure arm structure with difierent types of loads carried thereby.

Referring now to the several figures of the drawings, I5 and It indicate pressure arms for use preferably on the type of truck shown and described in my prior application, serial No.

32,429, filed on June 11, 1943, now Patent No. 2,571,550. In the construction illustrated in Fig. 1, fragmentary portions of the truck and its mountings are shown, comprising head members ll movable transversely of the truck on supporting rods l8 slidably mounted in tubular guides it carried by the side plates 26 of a load carriage movable vertically by power with respect to the truck by means of any suitable type of lifting mechanism. Alternatively the structure comprising the heads il may be mounted on a turntable or equivalent device for rotating the structure about a horizontal axis extending longitudinally of the truck. The mechanism for accomplishing these results is not illustrated in detail herein, inasmuch as it is disclosed in said prior application above referred to and since such mechanism does not in and of itself constitute any part of my present invention.

In the construction illustrated in said Fig. 1, the arms is and it are made of metal in the form of angle beams and preferably in the form of channel bars, being provided with mounting plate portions 25 secured by means of machine screws 22 upon the heads il.

For enabling the arms 55 and it to have a secure grip on a drum or the like by engagement with the opposite side faces of the drum, the arms are provided with a plurality of bearing face portions in the form of drum-receiving recesses at the pressure faces of the arms in spaced relationship to each other longitudinally of the arms. In the construction shown, the drum receiving recesses are provided by the use of pressure plate members 23 and 24 pivotally mounted on normally vertical axes on the arms. Each of the pressure plate members 23 and it is formed from a strip of sheet metal 25 bent into shape to provide recesses 26 and 21 shaped to fit more or less closely the side faces of drums 28. The end portions of the strips 25 at the right in Fig. 1, beyond the recesses 21, are bent backwardly upon the strip so as to provide rear face portions 29 which are welded or otherwise securely connected with flange portions 30 at the top and bottom edges of the strip 25 so as to strengthen and reinforce the plate structure. The pressure plate members 23 and 25 are pivotally mounted on the arms l6 and ll by means of vertically disposed pivot pins 3! passing through openings in the flanges 30 of the pressure plate members and openings in lugs 32 formed on the flanges of the arms.

As is clearly shown in Fig. 1, the arrangement is such that the arms i5 and I6 extend a substantial distance to the right beyond the pivot pins 31, with their end portions positioned between the slightly spaced face portions 253 of the pressure plate members and the strips 25 at approximately the deepest parts of the recesses 27. The construction is such that the pressure plate members are adapted to swing freely on their vertical axes with respect to the arms and it but only through a limited angle as controlled by the engagernent of the arms with bearings on the plate members, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The construction is such that the pressure plate member 24 is limited with respect to swinging in counterclockwise direction in said Fig. 1 by engagementpf the arm it with the strip 25 at the recess 26 at the left, or by engagement of the end of the arm it with the face portion 29, and is limited with respect to swinging in clockwise direction in said figure by engagement of the arm I6 with the strip 25 at the recess 2? at the right. By reason of this construction, the arms [5 and [6 are adapted to have a strong grip on a single drum 33 by engagement of the outer end portions of the plate members 23 and 24 with the drum as shown in Fig. 7, and alternatively are adapted to have a strong grip on a single, drum 34 by engagement of the inner end portions of said pressure plate members 23 and 24 with the drum, as shown in Fig. 9.

I have found that my invention is highly practical for handling comparatively heavy loads such as that shown in Fig. 5 comprising four drums 35, two of which are engaged by the pressure plate member 23 and the other two of which are engaged by the pressure plate member 24. With the arms 15 and i6 pressed very strongly toward each other, the drums are held effectively from any tendency to roll out of engagement with the pressure plate members, the recesses comprising the bearing face portions of the arm l5 being directly opposite to the recesses comprising the bearing face portions of the arm It, so as to insure effective gripping of the drums by said arms I5 and I6 and the pressure plate members associated therewith.

The arrangement of the load as shown in Fig. 6 is in principle the same as that shown in Fig. '7, except that two drums 3G and 3? are picked up abreast by engagement with the outer end portions of the pressure plate members.

Occasionally an operator finds it convenient to pick up one or more drums in the arrangement as shown in Fig. 8, with the pressure plate members engaging the ends of two drums 38 and 39 instead of the sides of the drums. It will be. appreciated that my improved mechanism is effective for such use without any change whatever in the arrangement of the parts.

By use of my invention, I am enabled to handle one, two or four barrels or drums to very great advantage without the use of any arrangement by which a fork or its equivalent may be moved into position underneath such drum or barrel. The necessity for the use of pal ets or skids is thus avoided. The drum is in all cases gripped and held tightly so as to avoid any probability of being tipped over accidentally or of being dropped before it reaches its intended position. At the same time, a drum or barrel may be picked up and turned over more or less completely for emptying the contents therefrom in cases where the drum gripping means is mounted on a turntable or the like. The arrangement is such that a drum or barrel which is completely closed at both ends may be inverted without difiiculty so as .to be piled in a prescribed manner, when desired. 7

While I have illustrated a, preferred embodiment of my invention, modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a drum handlingstructure for applying pressure on the side faces of a drum, the cornbination of a pressure arm, a pressure plate member pivotally mounted on an axis on said arm and having recesses in its pressure face at opposite sides of said axis serving as bearing face portions in spaced relationship to each other longitudinally of the arm for applying pressure on two drums arranged side by side, said pressure plate member comprising a strip of sheet metal bent into shape to provide the said drum receiving recesses at opposite sides of said axis, and the outer end portion of said strip being bent backwardly along the strip and secured in fixed position with respect to said flanges for strengthening the pressure plate member.

2. A drum handling structure as specified in claim 1, in which said backwardly bent portion of the strip is welded to said flanges.

3 In a drum handling structure for applying pressure on the side face of a drum, the combination of two pressure arms made of metal in the form of angle beams and provided with two pairs of oppositely positioned drum receivmg recesses at their pressure faces, with the recesses of each arm in spaced relationship to. each other longitudinally of the arm, means for mounting said arms in. substantially horizontal position on a truck with the arms arranged in substantially parallel spaced relationship to each other, and meansfor giving said arms relative movement toward and from each other, said two drum receiving recessesfor each arm being-provided in the pressure face of a pressure plate member pivotally mounted on an axis. said arm with the recesses for each arm at substantially the same distance from said axis, each of said pressure plate members comprising a strip of sheet metal bent into shape to provide saiddrum receiving recesses at opposite. sides of said vertical axis, the outer end portion of said strip of each of said pressure. plate members being bent backwardlyalong the strip and secured in References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,900,569 Lederer Mar. 7, 1933 10 Wehr May 26, 1931 Number Number Name Date Heath Sept. 25, 1945 Avery July 5, 1949 Ferrario et a1. Feb. 14, 1950 Backofen et a1 Jan. 2, 1951 Warren May 22, 1951 Weiss Jan. 15, 1952. Frischmann July 22, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Jan. 26, 1931 

